Food Insecurity and Blood Pressure in a Multiethnic Population

Claire Townsend Ing (), Brettany Clemens, Hyeong Jun Ahn, Joseph Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula, Peter S. Hovmand, Todd B. Seto and Rachel Novotny
Additional contact information
Claire Townsend Ing: Department of Native Hawaiian Health, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, 677 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Brettany Clemens: Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, 2528 McCarthy Mall, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Hyeong Jun Ahn: Department of Complementary & Integrative Medicine, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, 651 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Joseph Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula: Department of Native Hawaiian Health, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, 677 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Peter S. Hovmand: Center for Community Health Integration, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
Todd B. Seto: Cardiovascular Diseases, Queen’s Medical Center, 550 S Beretania Street, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
Rachel Novotny: Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, 1955 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 13, 1-13

Abstract: Food insecurity is a social determinant of health and is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for hypertension. Native Hawaiians bear a disproportionate burden of hypertension and known risk factors. Despite this, the relative effects of food insecurity and financial instability on blood pressure have yet to be investigated in this population. This study examines the relative effects of food insecurity and financial instability on blood pressure, controlling for potential confounders in a multiethnic sample. Participants ( n = 124) were recruited from a U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study called the Children’s Healthy Living Center of Excellence. Biometrics (i.e., blood pressure, weight, and height) were measured. Demographics, physical activity, diet, psychosocial variables, food insecurity, and financial instability were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Hierarchical linear regression models were conducted. Model 1, which included sociodemographic variables and known biological risk factors, explained a small but significant amount of variance in systolic blood pressure. Model 2 added physical activity and daily intake of fruit, fiber, and whole grains, significantly improving the model. Model 3 added financial instability and food insecurity, further improving the model ( R 2 = 0.37, F = 2.67, p = 0.031). Food insecurity, female sex, and BMI were significantly and independently associated with increased systolic blood pressure. These results suggest a direct relationship between food insecurity and systolic blood pressure, which persisted after controlling for physical activity, consumption of fruits, fiber, and whole grains, and BMI. Efforts to reduce food insecurity, particularly among Native Hawaiians, may help reduce hypertension in this high-risk population.

Keywords: food insecurity; blood pressure; hypertension; Native Hawaiian (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/13/6242/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/13/6242/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:13:p:6242-:d:1181340

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().